Wild Horses

Freedom Symbols of the Wild West

Today I’m writing about one of my my favorite animals, the horse. Specifically, our wild American horses. Some people call them Mustangs.

Ever since I can remember, horses have been a part of my life. I first encountered these magnificent creatures at my cousins’ farms and summer camps. I was mesmerized by their beauty, the way they move, and their spirits. I can still feel the laughter and joy of those early rides.

As I grew older, my love for them and for riding only deepened. I spent many days at nearby stables because there’s just something about horses. I always felt they understood me.

Even as an adult, I sought out horseback riding wherever I could. On every vacation, I quickly checked to see if there were horses to ride. I just love going on trails and seeing the land up close and soaking it in. I have often had déjà vu while riding, like there’s some sort of ancient memory of horse travels buried in my soul.

I remember riding in the hills by Gatlinburg. Tennessee as if it were yesterday and it’s been 30 years. It was a moment of pure bliss, a connection to nature and the wild spirit of the horse that filled my heart with gratitude.

It wasn’t a horse, but I remember riding down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in Arizona on a mule too, also as if it were yesterday and it was in the 90’s. And I remember riding on the beach in Mexico and Hawaii many times, and feeling so much joy.

So many memorable rides. In every ride, I found a piece of myself—a blend of wildness and peace.

Horses are more than just animals to me; they are symbols of freedom and a reminder of eras past. Especially the wild horses that gallop across our plains.

So it makes me very sad when I think about how they are treated now. We used to rely on them for our very existence as transportation and for farming, but now that we are an automobile and automated society, it’s almost like they’ve been discarded by modern civilization.

Thank goodness I do see horses all the time as I live in Horse Country. (Panhandle of Texas) We still have families around here that don’t own autos and ride horses into town to do their shopping. But these aren’t wild horses. Our horses are pets or work horses.

This was photographed in my town….

We have horse statues everywhere! Sometimes to give directions we say something like, “turn left at the bank that has the Golden Palomino out front.” And we have a Quarter Horse museum. And we have a horse rescue ranch just outside of town, where they are able to rehome 85% of their foster horses to wonderful new homes. In some ways we are decidedly not a modern area. (To say the least. 😂) I wish people in other areas cared as much about horses as we do here.

Just seeing horses makes me happy. (I’ve also painted a few.)

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A Brief History of Wild Horses in North America

Before the arrival of Europeans, horses were not in North America. They had been, but they went extinct around 10,000 years ago during the Pleistocene era. So the ancestors of today’s wild horses had disappeared from the continent, leaving no native horse populations.

But they reappeared in North America with the arrival of Spanish explorers in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. (Christopher Columbus is believed to have brought the first new horses to the Americas in 1493 on his second voyage.) Subsequent Spanish expeditions, particularly in the early 16th century, brought more horses, which were used for transportation, labor, and military purposes.

Some of these horses escaped or were released into the wild where they established feral populations. The Spanish horses quickly adapted to various North American environments, contributing to the rise of wild horse populations, particularly in the Southwestern United States.

Indigenous peoples of North America quickly adopted horses into their cultures, drastically transforming their ways of life. Tribes such as the Plains Indians became skilled horsemen, using them for hunting, trading, and warfare and the horse became central to their lives.

The 19th century marked a significant period for wild horses in North America, especially as European settlers expanded westward. The demand for horses grew, and many wild populations were rounded up for domestication or slaughter. 😭

However, the remnant populations of Mustangs (the term for feral horses in the U.S.) continued to roam the West. By this time, they had become a symbol of the American West and its frontier spirit.

The 20th century brought significant changes. As settlers continued to encroach on wild habitats, Mustang populations faced threats from habitat loss, round-ups, and competition with livestock.

But by the mid-20th century, public consciousness began to shift regarding the management and preservation of wild horses.

In 1971, the U.S. Congress passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which aimed to protect feral horse populations on public lands. This act recognized Mustangs as "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West" and set guidelines for their management and protection.

All of us horse lovers rejoiced but that joy didn’t last long.

Because despite legislative protection, wild horse populations remain a contentious issue and unsolved problem. Advocates argue for the Mustangs' right to roam free, while opponents raise concerns about overpopulation and its impacts on the environment and ranching.

That’s getting closer to the real reason. Ranchers want the land for cattle. And sometimes wild herds encroach on their land and forage and drink from the water sources.

But a lot of the land is Federal land so I don’t see why the ranchers have any more right to that land than the horses just because they like to use Federal land for their cattle. Also, I do understand that horses are eating and drinking and that land can only support so many animals per acre so it’s a problem. I just don’t like the inhumane way the BLM deals with it! More about that later.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the conservation of Mustangs and their natural habitats. Various organizations and advocates are working towards humane management practices and public education about the importance of these animals in American history and ecology.

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Understanding Wild Horse Management and the BLM's Role

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is tasked with managing wild horse populations through methods such as round-ups, adoptions, and fertility control.

Their management of wild horse populations has sparked significant controversy and debate. While some view the BLM's actions as necessary for population control and environmental balance, many of us perceive certain practices as abusive and detrimental to the well-being of these iconic animals.

These wild horses that roam freely across the Western United States are supposed to be protected under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. This legislation aimed to preserve their existence, recognizing their historical significance and the need for their protection against extinction.

But the BLM who manages the horses has a goal of reducing the herd size of these beautiful creatures. I guess their idea of protection and management is different than mine. And their methods are quite cruel and controversial!

The BLM estimates that there are over 80,000 wild horses and burros in the West, a number that exceeds the agency's designated Appropriate Management Levels (AML). The agency contends that overpopulation leads to starvation, habitat degradation, and water shortages in arid regions.

If it really led to starvation the herd would decrease in size naturally. Isn’t that what they say they want anyway? Water shortages? Please. They know how to make it rain. Just seed some clouds! Habitat degradation? This is not farm land. Much of it is desert. Horses beautify the landscape, if you ask me. But again, seed some clouds and more plants will grow! There goes the food and water problem. Just let some of that Helene hurricane juice loose on the desert land and let Nature do its thing.

One of the most criticized practices is the BLM's use of helicopter roundups, where wild horses are chased and captured in large numbers. This method is inhumane and traumatic for the animals. Horses are subjected to stress, injury, and even death during these chases, as they can become exhausted or injured while trying to evade capture.

I’ve seen videos of these roundups on YouTube that made me cry. The poor horses are so distraught and disorientated that they sometimes slam into fences or each other. 💔At the very least they are severly traumatized by the helicopters. They’re very sensitive animals.

Here’s another thing. Although supposedly the BLM does not condone the slaughter of wild horses, there is evidence that captured horses do end up in slaughterhouses. The lack of transparency regarding what happens to horses after they are removed from the wild is suspicious AF.

The BLM has established adoption programs for captured horses, but many animals remain in holding facilities for long periods. The conditions in these facilities are often deplorable, leading to physical and psychological stress for the horses that are not able to live freely in their natural habitats. These animals are not used to being penned up in a prison. 💔 They should be free!!!

Some management strategies involve the use of fertility control measures, such as the immunocontraceptive vaccine PZP. While this has been presented as a humane alternative to roundups, there are concerns about the long-term effects on the health and behavior of horses, as well as questions about the effectiveness of these methods in controlling population growth. Still I hope they are able to manage the herd size this way instead of the horrible helicopter roundups.

Pause to talk about this beautiful horse. 👆 (I can’t help it.)

Hailing from the Karakum desert in Turkmenistan, the Akhal-Teke breed is believed to have ancestral ties to Arabian horses. Despite their relatively modest height ranging from 5 to 6 feet, these horses are known for their agility, gracefulness, silky hair with metallic reflections, and slender physique. Their exceptional speed, intelligence, and strength further contribute to their unique allure.

Renowned for their loyalty, these horses are said to usually permit only their owners to ride them. With a global population of fewer than 7,000, the Akhal-Teke holds an esteemed status of being the national animal of Turkmenistan. (This is not photo shopped. It’s a public domain photo. They actually look like this! Their coat provides natural camouflage in the desert.)

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Okay back to the BLM and their horrible cruelty.

Wild horse herds are not just collections of individual animals; they are complex social units that establish bonds and hierarchies. The disruption caused by roundups can have lasting impacts on these dynamics. When horses are separated from their families and herds, it leads to increased stress, and sometimes long-term health issues, and negative behavioral changes. They are sentient and sensitive. These raids are hellacious for them!

Also, the removal of a significant number of horses from a herd can disrupt the ecosystem that has developed around that herd, impacting not only the horses but also other wildlife and plant communities that cohabit these spaces.

Addressing the wild horse management issue is complex but I want to see the health and well being of the horses as a primary goal, not just herd reduction at any cost. I don’t want them to disappear and I bet if more Americans knew how the BLM treats these amazing animals we could get it stopped.

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Wild Horse Advocacy Groups

If you want to help our wild horses ecape horrific helicopter roundups, all these groups below are working to help them. Sometimes I wonder why people ae outraged and go to great lengths for animals most have never even heard of while this devastation of our magnificant wild horses is happening as policy! I wonder who decides which animals species need to be saved and which ones are allowed to be culled.

Either way, it seems like it always goes back to the land, and specifically gaining ownership of it.

These are some groups advocating for our wild horses:

American Wild Horse Conservation

Return to Freedom Wild Horses Conservation

The Cloud Foundation

Mustang Heritage Foundation

I’d listen to this one over and over just to watch the horses…Rascal Flatts singing about freedom. Happy Friday! ❤️

Lyrics

She left that loser in a dust cloud
Heart in his hand, chin on the ground
Cried her last tear for that clown
She can see a little clearer now
She said, "Oh, oh, I gotta go and find me"
Oh, oh she found the strength to break free

Like a painted wild mustang
Flyin' out across the open range
Finally gets to live her life that way
No fear, no fences, nobody-no reins

No reins

All she's ever felt is held back
She says, "It's kinda nice to hear myself laugh"
She's gonna do a lot more of that
She's makin' plans and makin' tracks
She said, "Oh, oh I gotta go and find me"
Oh, oh she found the strength to break free

Like a painted wild mustang
Flyin' out across the open range
Finally gets to live her life that way
No fear, no fences, nobody-no reins

Oh, oh she's learnin' how to let go
Oh, oh whichever way the wind blows
Oh, oh she's learnin' how to let go

Like a painted wild mustang
Flyin' out across the open range
Finally gets to live her life that way
No fear, no fences, nobody-no reins

Like a painted wild mustang
Flyin' out across the open range
Finally gets to live her life that way
No fear, no fences, nobody-no reins

No reins.

Songwriters: Jay Demarcus / Neil Thrasher / Wendell Mobley

No Reins lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Concord Music Publishing LLC, Major Bob Music, Inc, / Rio Bravo Music, Inc, / Castle Bound Music, Inc, / Hanna Bea Songs, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc